EU, Ursula von der Leyen: “It is time for Europe’s mutual defence clause”

Milan, Feb. 14 (LaPresse) – “I believe the time has come to activate Europe’s mutual defence clause. Mutual defence is not optional for the European Union, it is an obligation set out in our own treaty, in Article 42, paragraph 7. For a good reason: it is our collective commitment to support each other in the event of aggression. Or, in simple terms, one for all and all for one. This is the meaning of Europe. But this commitment only carries weight if it is based on trust and on capability.” This was stated by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Munich. “We must be ready collectively, we must take decisions more quickly and this may mean relying on the outcome of a qualified majority rather than unanimity,” von der Leyen added. “There is no need to change the treaty for this. We must use what we have and we must be creative. Take for example the Joint Expeditionary Force led by the United Kingdom, which is outside NATO but complementary to it. It brings together 10 European countries to deter and reassure in the far north of the Baltic region, with an operational command in Northwood in the United Kingdom. “Or take the Coalition of the Willing, led by Keir Starmer and President Emmanuel Macron. With headquarters in Paris, this coalition is working on significant security guarantees for Ukraine. More than 30 countries are involved, some of which are not even in Europe. These examples show us that this can work,” she added.